By RT Despite sporadic clashes in eastern Ukraine, the heads of Russia, Germany, France and Ukraine have noted “certain progress” in the implementation of the ceasefire between Kiev’s military and the self-proclaimed republic’s forces, the Kremlin said.Read Full Article at RT.com

By webdesk@voanews.com (VOA News) The NATO supreme allied commander said Thursday that the alliance needs better military intelligence on the ground in eastern Ukraine, where he said Russian forces appeared to be fortifying military gains despite a two-month cease-fire.

U.S. Air Force General Philip Breedlove, testifying before the Senate Armed Services Committee in Washington, accused Moscow of supplying pro-Russian rebels in Ukraine’s east with “heavy weapons, training and mentoring,” as well as “artillery fire support and tactical- and operational-level air defense.”

Breedlove also conceded “there are critical gaps in our collection and analysis” of intelligence in Ukraine’s east, as intelligence demands grow in a “threat environment” that also includes civil war in Syria and instability in North Africa that have spawned the flood of migrants into Europe.

He attributed the gaps in large part to a dramatic decline in the gathering of Russia intelligence since the end of the Cold War, as Western intelligence assets have been redirected to wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Breedlove described the situation on the ground in Ukraine as “volatile and fragile” and said the actions of Russian forces in the region “are consistent with preparations for another offensive.”

The general’s testimony follows comments last week from NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg, who accused Moscow of moving more than 1,000 pieces of heavy military equipment to the Ukraine border, in violation of truce provisions that Moscow agreed to in February.

The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, which is monitoring the cease-fire, said the violence is down markedly since the accord was signed in Minsk, Belarus.

But the United States says Russia now has its largest force on the border since October and has deployed the biggest number of air defense systems there since August.

Breedlove said Russia was seeking to tighten its grip on separatist fighters, bolstering its command and control “because there was disunity in some of the earlier attacks.”

“We do see a very distinct Russian set of command and control in the eastern part of Ukraine,” he said. “Command and control, air defense, support to artillery, all of these things increased … making a more coherent, organized force out of the separatists.”

The United States has so far declined to provide weapons to Ukraine, a move that advocates say could help end the conflict but opponents warn might escalate the war.

Breedlove said that no options should be taken off the table but that there was no consideration of giving Ukraine the kind of military might needed to defeat Russia.

“What we do believe is that we should consider changing the decision calculus of [Russian President Vladimir] Putin. That’s what we look at,” he said.

Still, Washington is keen to maintain solidarity with Europe, some of whose leaders, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel, strongly oppose arming Ukraine.

Breedlove said Putin was concerned about Western sanctions imposed against Russia over the Ukraine crisis, “and that may be affecting how he currently does things in eastern Ukraine.”

“But we really have no way of knowing one way or another,” Breedlove said.

By webdesk@voanews.com (VOA News) German police said Thursday they have foiled an alleged Islamic extremist terrorist attack on a popular May Day bicycle race planned for Friday.

Police in Frankfurt have arrested a Turkish-German man and his Turkish wife.

An employee of a hardware store alerted police after the male suspect bought an unusually large amount of chemicals that could be used to make explosives.

Authorities raided the couple’s home and found a stash of weapons and bomb-making ingredients.

Police believe the two may have planned to bomb the annual Frankfurt bike race which attracts thousands of people.

Hesse state police chief Stefan Mueller said “Clearly since the Boston Marathon [ bombing in the U.S. two years ago ] these security concerns have been part of the considerations of how to deal with that [ danger ] before every marathon race in Germany. And that is also valid for the cycle race.”

Despite the arrests, officials have canceled Friday’s race as a precaution.

By RT Legal marijuana businesses should have access to banks as a matter of public safety, says a new bill proposed by US lawmakers. Currently the legal pot dealers in 21 states operate on cash basis, making them a target for thieves.Read Full Article at RT.com

By RT A mobile phone application aimed at empowering civilians to hold law enforcement accountable has been re-launched in California amid a growing nationwide debate on policing tactics amplified by recent officer-involved incidents-turned-deadly.Read Full Article at RT.com

A Vienna court late on April 30 rejected a U.S. Department of Justice
request to extradite Dmytro Firtash, a Russia-linked Ukrainian oligarch and
former partner of Gazprom in the multibillion-dollar regional natural gas
trade.

Editor’s Note: The latest in the series of Kyiv Post 20th Anniversary remembrances comes from one of Ukraine’s leading journalists, Olga Kryzhanovska-Valchyshyn, who worked at the Kyiv Post for several years starting in 1999.

In 2000, freedom of speech was still a dream for most Ukrainian publications. Direct and indirect harassment of journalists was commonplace, which meant even some of the most tenacious journalists were afraid to report corruption and criticize the policies of newly re-elected President Leonid Kuchma.